Credit: Matt Golding
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PUBLIC SERVICE
In the US Donald Trump and Elon Musk are revelling in the theatre of cutting government spending by sacking tens, possibly hundreds, of thousands of public servants. Musk prances about on stage waving a chainsaw while Trump cheers him on (“Trump appointees refuse to comply with Musk’s latest cost-cutting order”, 24/2). What neither man appears to care about, is that each of these public sector jobs is performed by a real person, with a family, working to serve their community. Imagine the anxiety and fear that these people are now feeling while their fates are being decided as part of a reality TV show, with every day some new insult or threat thrown at them?
Comparisons have been made between Trump and the Roman emperor Caligula. The performative theatre of publicly demonising public servants in the name of “government efficiency” is the modern-day equivalent of Christians being fed to the lions in the Colosseum as a public spectacle.
Sadly, we are seeing something similar today in Australia with Peter Dutton’s latest announcements that he has 36,000 public servants in his sights (“Dutton says $24 billion from public service jobs will pay for bulk-billing boost”, 24/2). Again, I make the point that every public servant in Australia is a real person, who is now being told by Dutton that their work is a symptom of government waste and that their livelihoods and wellbeing are disposable. Like any large organisation, there will undoubtedly be opportunities in the public sector to achieve efficiencies, and to eliminate duplication or low-value activity. But where jobs are to be lost, then impacted people need to be treated with care and respect, not used as props in a political soap opera. It seems that on the conservative side of politics meanness is not a bug, it is a feature.
Simon Bennett, Hawthorn East
These people are doing jobs of value
Do people understand that the 36,000 public servants Dutton wants to cut do not all live and work in Canberra? They work at your local Centrelink, they could be your neighbour, they work to oversee the provision of quality services in aged care, childcare, Veterans Affairs, NDIS, health, defence and climate, clearing the backlog and mess left by the LNP and detecting fraud, hence saving money.
Gael McLeod, Glen Iris
Dutton needs to come clean
It looks like Peter Dutton is going for the old trick of telling voters details of his cost-cutting will be revealed prior to the election. But his policies need to be thoroughly examined with enough time for electors to consider them, like right now. Where are all these public servants working, and what would be the repercussions for those who depend on using these services? His plan for nuclear power stations needs to be properly costed and compared with alternatives. He is great on not facing journalists who are prepared to ask probing questions. He needs to come clean.
Rod Oaten, North Carlton
Taking a leaf from Trump playbook
Peter Dutton jumps on the Medicare bandwagon by offering that a Coalition government would match Labor’s promised $8.5 billion to boost bulk-billing. When asked how he’d fund this, Dutton takes a leaf from the Trump playbook by suggesting public service job cuts would do the trick. Using that as his model, it’ll take a public service wipeout to fund his nuclear power fantasies.
Jenifer Nicholls, Windsor
Lost services, increased private industry costs
One assumes Peter Dutton has factored in all the redundancy payments required, as well as the increase in unemployment benefits, by cutting 36,000 government employees. With a reduced federal workforce it will become even harder to make contact with the public service for critical support when citizens need them. This will probably require a Dutton government to outsource support mechanisms to private industry, which, of course, gets hidden in the paperwork when the government proclaims how much money it has saved on wages.
Alan Inchley, Frankston
THE FORUM
It takes courage
What is alarming about your article “Trump cuts win some favour here” (25/2) is that the proposed issues canvassed are all complex and would likely have unforeseen or understood consequences. We need to be careful about what changes we wish for. Consider the global weather catastrophes we witness nearly every day. For Australia to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change would be disastrous, as is continued fossil fuel extraction, let alone an increase. We urgently need to reduce the impact of the climate crisis that we are experiencing. There are many ways to do this such as remove subsidies on fossil fuel extraction and encourage more investment in renewables. Most important is for the government to have the political courage.
Judith Morrison, Nunawading
Fanciful thoughts
Seriously? Forty per cent of respondents in the recent Resolve Political Monitor support increasing the production of oil and gas, while only 27 per cent definitely oppose? What planet on people living on? We are surrounded by evidence of climate change, fuelled by human activities. And yet more people think we should continue to literally pour fuel on the fire.
The laws of the natural world don’t care what people “believe” about climate change. The scientists have been telling us what’s happening for decades and have been warning us what will happen if we don’t quickly change course. With so many people supporting increased oil and gas production, no wonder Peter Dutton thinks there’s no political cost to his nuclear reactor fantasies, which only delay serious action.
Donna Cohen, Southbank
But, where to cut?
Regarding the latest Resolve poll citing support for some of Trump’s policies, given one of the questions was framed as “cutting waste in the public service”, well of course that will be supported by many. Who doesn’t want to reduce waste? Secondary questions need to be asked. What is waste and who defines that? What services would people be happy to see cut back or abolished altogether?
Ann Maginness, Beaumaris
Fresh waste
While I can understand a survey found 51 per cent of voters agree with a policy of cutting waste from the public service, this often results in added expense as the private sector is hired – at great expense – to do the same job. And there is much waste there as well. Recently a couple we know applied for My Aged Care. They were advised they would be assessed individually rather than as a couple, and that furthermore the assessments would be done by different organisations.
Dave Torr, Werribee
Alienating people
Your correspondent (“Opening a conversation”, Letters, 25/2) offers an explanation and defence of Donald Trump’s bizarre style of diplomacy. They omit from their analysis that Trump is a convicted felon who escaped punishment by being re-elected as president. In addition he has demonstrated countless times that he has no respect for facts or the truth. These things must surely resonate with world leaders and would factor in to their dealings with him and his administration. Whatever Trump’s motivation is, truth and trust are not qualities that could easily be applied.
Mark Bennett, Manifold Heights
Behind the curtain
Your correspondent suggests Donald Trump has a canny end-game approach to achieving peace in the world, specifically by meeting with Vladimir Putin to consider his point of view. The only problem I have with attributing Trump some higher degree of insight and tactical nous than, say a diplomat, is everything that he says. One only needs to wind back the tape to his COVID press conferences to remind ourselves about the intellect we are dealing with here.
Julian Guy, Mt Eliza
Grassroots fall short
Your correspondent (“Not a plan, a diversion”, Letters, 25/2) raises questions about action on climate change before calling on voters to support the “grassroots community representatives” who offer “genuine, forward-thinking solutions” rather than the “empty rhetoric” of the major parties.
What are these genuine solutions when it comes to the high cost of living, guaranteed low-cost reliable energy supply, geopolitical challenges posed by Chinese aggression, the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, aged care, affordable health care, massive budget deficits, taxation reform, etc?
The independents, with one or two exceptions, have mostly distinguished themselves by offering nothing more than attention-seeking platitudes devoid of substance and the harsh reality of responsibility for implementation.
As for their “independence”, given their common financial backing, voting record, narrow focus on climate change and “integrity” issues, and record of running primarily against Coalition incumbents, this claim doesn’t pass the pub test.
William Vickers, Sorrento
Defence limits
The Chinese ships have raised some questions around Australia’s defence. It can be argued with some justification that Australia has never been able to defend itself. Since colonisation it has never had to. In the second world war Germany was never going to invade and Japan decided in early 1942 it couldn’t and was looking at Fiji instead. There is a strong case for arguing the contribution of Australia against Japan was irrelevant. The aim of the US was always towards its colony, the Philippines, and Japan. In 1944, the US even resented the British Pacific Fleet playing a role until US President Roosevelt interceded. Australian and British support for the invasion of Japan, Operation Downfall, was included in the plans.
Apart from remoteness, the only defence for a country as big as this country with such a small and dispersed population is a nuclear arsenal, a big up-to-date air force, a mobile army, a small dispersed navy and drones.
Adrian Tabor, Point Lonsdale
Trump’s moral challenge
Mick Ryan shines a light on what can be achieved through courage (“Ukraine has shown us all the true meaning of courage”, 25/2). In today’s world our leaders are struggling to navigate their way through the turmoil that Donald Trump has unleashed in just a few short weeks, the latest being the move by the US to ultimately vote with Russia to oppose a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Trump’s transactional approach to diplomacy, if we can call it that, lacks any morality.
History shows us aggrieved and expansionist demagogues are a destructive force and eventually must be challenged. Appeasement didn’t work in the 1930s and unlikely to do so now. Let’s hope world leaders, once they have Trump’s measure, find their courage and come together and use their considerable strengths to mount the necessary challenge.
Anne Lyon, Camberwell
Inner city pressure
It was most surprising to read Mick Ryan’s ideas on the current threats to Australia’s cohesion include “inner-city progressives”(“Ukraine has shown us all the true meaning of courage”, 25/2). Which progress is he objecting to, exactly? Equal opportunities for women, people who are not white, reasonable adjustment for those who are disabled? The progress that allows people to be themselves in terms of their gender and sexuality without fear of societal retribution? Caring about the future of the climate and environment? If you hold these values in the outer suburbs or regions, are you still dividing society?
Eli Kinnersly, Richmond
Squandered opportunity
Peter Hartcher has no shame. After a decade of aggressively urging Australia to put all its security bets on America, and as the bet is on the cusp of failing, he falls back to the mealy-mouthed claim that Australia is to be blamed in not preparing for its own defence (“Australia wedged by Chinese aggression and Trump’s degression”, 24/2). This is the same person who has barracked for AUKUS, notwithstanding we have to wait 20 to 30 years for the submarines to protect us.
For just on a decade Hartcher has argued that Australia would best protect itself being an integral part of US military primacy in Asia only now to discover to his chagrin that Trump’s America no longer believes in allies – European or otherwise. And that Australia has squandered a decade of opportunity in securing the right weapons for its geography, preferring instead to buy and inject itself into the United States’ Pacific military apparatus.
This is an unforgivable error of judgment. Yet Hartcher in his column displays not a hint of humility in having had any role in bringing this situation about.
Paul Keating, Potts Point
Editor’s note: Peter Hartcher has on many occasions advocated for greater Australian independence and defence self-reliance from both China and the United States.
Clean up taxis
Reports have detailed some taxi drivers ripping off passengers and physically abusing them. The latest (25/2) featured a passenger with a disability who was refused a fare unless an inflated amount was paid in advance. One would think the taxi industry would be striving to provide exemplary service to counter inroads made by Uber and the like. Do we need another Jeff Kennett type to again clean up the taxi industry?
John Guy, Elsternwick
The 3am alarm
At last, I know I am not alone. I am typing this at 8am after another 3am on-the-dot wake up and loss of sleep. Thomas Mitchell wakes consistently at 3am (“I should be asleep. Why not revisit my biggest regrets instead?” 23/2). So do I. It seems it doesn’t matter what time I go to sleep, I have a 3am alarm clock in my head and I wake up.
Alan Williams, Port Melbourne
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit: Matt Golding
Ukraine
So the US voted with Russia in the United Nations General Assembly. And are we surprised? Well, no. Apparently, history is being rewritten to show that Ukraine started the war by punching itself in the face, and Russia only went there to provide medical assistance.
Greg Tuck, Warragul
Volodymyr Zelensky called a dictator by the man who could not accept the results of a democratic vote for US president in 2020.
Kevan Porter, Alphington
International relations
Cathy Wilcox’s cartoon (Letters, 25/2) showing Anthony Albanese toadying to Donald Trump is poignant. The sad thing though is she could have gone back the past few decades and replaced Albanese and Trump with most Australian prime ministers and US presidents, and they would all be just as poignant.
John Cummings, Anglesea
In a show of bipartisan friendship, will the Sydney to Hobart yacht race be escorted by the Chinese navy until further notice? Or at least until the AUKUS subs arrive?
Peter Thomas, Pascoe Vale
Furthermore
It’s nice that more of our GP consultations will be free, but some over-users will still clog the system, due to poor lifestyle. To avoid alienating the voting bloc, the government could legislate on sugar, junk food, gambling and alcohol promotions.
John Marks, Werribee
Thanks to the Australian Jews who published their feelings about the Palestinians in the ad in The Age yesterday. This the most positive outlook seen in recent times.
Mary Fenelon, Doncaster East
Finally
Retiring from Melbourne into the Victorian countryside is aesthetically delightful. However, if you want to travel anywhere it’s challenging. V/Line should be called “Replacement Bus Service with a few trains here and there”. And existing bus services are limited. Those of us outside Melbourne metro could do with a decent transport service.
Rob Willis, Newlands Arm
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To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published.